Radio Mirchi comes to T3

Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM and DIAL launch 'MIRCHI T3', India's first airport radio at JWT Mariott hotel, New Delhi.

Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM, the popular radio station from the Entertainment Network India (ENIL) wing under The Times Group umbrella, launched 'MIRCHI T3', India's first airport radio, in partnership with Delhi International Airport (DIAL) at JW Mariott hotel in New Delhi. The radio station, the first of its kind ever, was launched on October 30, and will be on 24X7. The popular musical trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy has co-curated the music. The launch of this airport radio will cater to flyers travelling via Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), New Delhi, by transforming their travel experience.

The passengers will experience a unique and differentiated offering by way of 'MIRCHI T3', even as they wait in the long queues at the check-in counters or deal with the boredom of waiting in queues for security checks, delayed flights or the long walk to the boarding gate. The radio station's handpicked melodies promise to keep the passengers entertained with its musical-line up. Moreover, the product offering is intended for a well-defined and niche audience. The 'niche' factor here, can be attributed to a premium class of passengers who travel via T3, whose volume is certainly less than those flying from the rest of the terminals at IGI airport.

The event saw some interesting and engaging anchoring put up by Mirchi RJs - RJ Saima and RJ Rohit (more popular as 'Recharge Rohit'), SOS - the music band belted out peppy tracks, the musical trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy along with Prashant Panday, CEO and managing director, ENIL, Mahesh Shetty, chief operating officer, ENIL, and I Prabhakara Rao, CEO, DIAL.

The airport radio is set to be a musically brilliant product. Only those passengers whose tickets are valued at Rs 7,000 and upwards can avail of this facility. The airport radio station will have an interesting mix of subcontinental music, classic retro hits and handpicked ghazals among others. The idea behind this is to provide a relatable music station sans any distraction. The station has completely done away with the idea of radio jocks.

To popularise the radio station, the offering will be promoted through selected advertising and branding at airports across Delhi, Mumbai and other metro cities besides other places via BTL activities and other media mix as well. Significantly, the 'content to ad ratio' for the radio station will be 56:4, implying that for every 55 to 56 minutes of content, there will be only 3-4 minutes of advertisements. Later, the station also intends to have 'request booths' where people will be able to put up requests for message and song dedications for loved ones. But currently, it's goal is to stabilise the user base. Another unique feature being rolled out for the airport radio will be 'Audio Selfie Zones'.

Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM claims to have 8,00,000 listeners in Delhi alone! With such a dedicated and whooping listener base, it wants to play more of 'massy' musical tracks, with songs by music composers such as Jatin-Lalit, Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Amit Trivedi. The channel hopes to create its own buzz among its target audience, by creating an 'Aha!' factor to it.

The reason for choosing T3 of Delhi airport is that it is already considered one of the best airports globally and this experience will add to it. Both DIAL as well as Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM were on the same wavelength about this idea and therefore, tied up together.

I Prabhakara Rao, CEO, DIAL, says, "DIAL has always endeavoured to help passengers enjoy themselves. And, we are proud to bring this rich experience to our passengers, an experience unique for any airport worldwide. We hope that they will enjoy the variety and freshness of music at the airport each time they travel through Terminal 3 at Delhi Airport."

Unveiling India's first airport radio, MIRCHI T3, Prashant Panday, CEO and managing director, ENIL, says, "Mirchi has always been ahead of the curve in offering innovative audio content, and with Mirchi T3 we are confident that the premium Mirchi experience goes up a few notches higher. It will surely elevate travellers' moods and make the journey a more memorable and enjoyable one."